The Ties that Bond
by z dream
Summary: A collection of moments between the team members and their mentors. How close have they become?
1. Chapter 1 Martians

"What about now?" Martian Manhunter asked his niece, whose eyes and nose were scrunched up in concentration. "What do you sense about the person who just entered the park?" M'gann focused all her energy on the presence of the human who had just entered the expanse below the rooftop she and her uncle floated above.

"A girl, who seems really worried." J'onn simply glanced at the slumped form and disheveled appearance of the red haired female who entered the park as confirmation.

"Good, you are improving and are better able to distinguish one figures presence from another; however, do you still find it difficult?"

"Well, I've never really tried to telepathically sense emotion from a distance without setting up a link, but I think I'm getting the hang of it." Her uncle nodded slowly, and smiled. He flew down to the rooftop, M'gann following suit. Placing a hand on her shoulder, his camouflage fell away to reveal the façade of his human disguise.

"Would you like to take a break?"

M'gann sat at a park bench with slightly less than amiable silence between her and her uncle.

"So," she said brightly, a topic of discussion coming to her. "How do you like Earth?"

"Oh, well," J'onn seemed to taken a bit off guard. He couldn't remember a time when anyone had asked him that particular question. "Earth is a relatively friendly planet. It is even beautiful, I suppose."

"You miss Mars, don't you?" M'gann said, guilt heating up the back of her neck. Did it make her a horrible Martian not to miss her home planet as much as she should've?

"It was no small sacrifice for to come to Earth."

"Then why did you?" J'onn was famous on Mars, perhaps not as much as he was on Earth, but still….he was revered and respected. Mars loved him. Mars accepted him. He belonged.

"As a hero," J'onn began cautiously, "you must do what is best for life." At his niece's puzzled expression he sighed, trying to find the right words to describe why he came to Earth. "I feel as though Earth needs me, and, while it shall never replace Mars in my heart, I have come to call it home." M'gann nodded thoughtfully, the guilt now mingling with shame. So now, was she a coward for coming to Earth as an escape? Sensing his niece's change in mood, he decided to change the topic.

"And how is your team?" M'gann opened her mouth, the word 'fine' caught mid-thought. She looked at her uncle for a moment, and felt compelled to tell him more, to open up. She could never tell him what she was, but did she really have to lie about how she felt?

"I feel like the idea of the mole has really shaken us up. And, what's more, I feel like me and Con-Superboy, aren't as close as we used to be. It just feels like-like…there's a divide between us." John Jones nodded thoughtfully, almost knowingly.

"If there is anything I have learned about humans, it is that they are not always sure of their own feelings. Sometimes they feel that they most close themselves off, or prevent someone from getting too close. Sometimes this irrational, inexplicable fear disguises itself as some sort of reason. Give your friends time. As we Martians say, Jazma may lose its shine in time, but never shall it decrease in worth." M'gann laughed, and threw her arms around her uncle. After a moment, she felt him hug back.


	2. Chapter 2 Archers

**Happy Harbor **

**December 3**

"Happy birthday, Artemis." Green Arrow handed her a small light green envelope. In the fading evening light, she could see the words 'To Artemis From GA' written in his, uh, distinct handwriting. "Sorry that I couldn't make the party back at the cave, but, you know, I had League business to take care of. Though, now is a much better time anyways." Artemis smiled gratefully. Her sixteenth birthday was definitely full of surprises, and she was glad to say none of them were unpleasant so far.

"It's alright, thank you." Opening the envelope, she saw two green, yellow, and pink tickets to a carnival in Star City. For that night.

"I know it would be kind of last minute, but maybe you could invite a friend from school or one of your teammates, like Miss Martian or…Kid Flash." Artemis blushed, all too aware of the almost knowing way he said 'Kid Flash'. She guessed that Green Arrow got tickets to a Star City carnival specifically to encourage her to bring her teammates, but he obviously underestimated her paranoia. Just what would she say if one of them asked her about her life in Star City? She'd already lied to them enough…And her friends in Gotham definitely wouldn't be able to make it either so…

"Would you like to come with me?" Artemis winced at the words that flew out of her mouth, and immediately anticipated the answer. Come on, he probably had a mission from the League or maybe was planning to go out on patrol tonight. He couldn't go to a carnival as Green Arrow anyways, and what was he supposed to do, reveal his identity to her? Plus, he has a personal life, he probably—

"Sure," he replied cheerily. Wait, she must've misheard him.

"Really?" Her mentor shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm free tonight."

Adrenaline coursed through Artemis' veins and her knuckles were white as she held the bar in front of her with a death grip. The cart went at an almost taunting pace up the first hump. Green Arrow, or Oliver, as she was told to call him, was seated next to her, grinning excitedly.

Then came the drop.

The young archer couldn't hold in her screams as wind whipped her face and blew her hair. The speed made her spine tingle and she was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating long ago. Up, down, forward-through loops and tunnels. The rush seemed to last both a moment and a lifetime.

Then it was over.

"Okay, where to next?" Oliver asked her as they were walking away from the ride. It didn't take long for him to see that her attention was occupied at the moment with the intoxicating aroma of sugar coming from a small white and pink stripped cart.

"Than—" Oliver held up a hand.

"If you thank me one more time, I'll get a new apprentice," he threatened good naturedly. She sighed.

"Fair enough." Artemis and Oliver sat on the bench, contently eating the fluffy pink sugar, watching a group of children with their parents pass by.

"You know, I haven't been to a carnival in while. Too long, if tonight is anything to go by."

"Yeah, I don't come to these things too often either." Oliver looked to her then, a sort of realization dawning.

"It must've been tough, huh?" His voice was gentle and not at all judgmental, but that probably made his words sting even more.

"I'm fine, I've always been fine, and I'll always be fine." To her utter surprise, Oliver began to chuckle.

"Now I know for sure you belong with us. That's definitely the attitude everyone on your team's adopted-the one most super heroes come to, one way or another, I guess." His tone became a bit more thoughtful then. "I think it would be better if most teen had that attitude. To know that you can survive anything you believe you can is really something…powerful."

"Well, then I guess it doesn't always work. I don't feel very powerful…." Her voice was soft, and, although it was probably more to herself than him, Green Arrow felt the need to reply.

"Artemis, look at me." She turned to him, slowly meeting his gaze. "You don't have to feel something for it to be a fact. Look at the lives you've saved, the skill you have—I would choose you out of everyone on your team, heck, out of everyone on the League, to back me up." For a moment, Artemis was quiet, unsure of how to respond to such a sentiment. How can someone even express how much something means to them to a person they feel has already done so much?

"….Does that include Black Canary?" Oliver laughed.

"Maybe," he joked. "Hey, wanna go over to that fortune teller booth? Never know what you might hear." Artemis smiled, a wave of gratitude washing over her again. One day she'd tell him about it. But for now…

"I'll go anywhere you go."


	3. Chapter 3 Speedsters

**Central City**  
**January 3**

"So, what'll it be today, boys," Mabel asked, flipping expectantly to a fresh page.  
Wally didn't even need to look at his menu, or his uncle, to know what they wanted.  
"Two eggs, two crispy bacon strips, two pork sausage links, two triangles of French toast and two buttermilk pancakes, please." The gray-haired waitress had a knowing smile on her face as she expertly short-handed the order.  
"A light meal today, huh?" she laughed. Barry thanked her and smiled as she walked away.  
"You know," Barry began, "I'm really proud of how much you improved." Wally grinned brightly.  
"Really? I think I'm starting to master my powers—even my accelerations and decelerations are taking shorter amounts of time." Barry glanced away from the beaming face of his nephew for a moment, trying to see how he could ease his way into the subject he wanted to discuss.  
"Yeah, you're really getting the hang of your powers. And you've obviously proven you can work well on a team…But I hear that, despite your better control, you're still having... the nightmares." Wally averted his gaze and stared at the table, tracing some random, non-existent pattern on the lament top. Though his uncle was tact enough not to bring it up in a while, it was still a tender spot for Wally.  
"Mom told you, huh?" Barry nodded. "Well, she's just being paranoid. I had it, like, one time these past few weeks, and it wasn't even that bad." His uncle raised an eyebrow.  
"Last time I checked screaming and waking up in a cold sweat doesn't go under 'not that bad'." Cheeks burning, Wally made a mental note to have a serious talk with his mom about what she could and could not tell his mentor. "Look, it's nothing to be embarrassed about—even heroes get scared sometimes."  
"That's not what bothers me," Wally blurted out.  
"Then what-" Barry abruptly stopped when he spotted Mabel coming over with a tray filled with steaming platters.  
"Thanks, Mabel," Wally and Barry said in unison. Once the waitress left, Wally immediately seized the opportunity to take control of the conversation before his uncle could say anything that would lose his nerve.  
"My nightmares just keep getting more detailed—the world just creeping along slowly, and my friends all still as statues, but me? I'm speeding through, but I still feel like I can't catch up. Parts of the world move light years behind me, while the other half is speeding ahead. It's like…like…" the words to describe just weren't forming in Wally's mind. The threads of thought and emotion were just tied up in a huge knot—and he couldn't find the ends.  
"Like you can't find the right pace."Wally's head snapped up, and, for the first time since their conversation began, he got a good look at the knowing expression on his uncle's face. "That's always the problem, isn't it? I got my power later than you- around my twenties, actually. Even without powers, I went through what you are going through, maybe not as…extremely, but I still felt it. Growing up is like performing a balancing act—people expect you to juggle school, life, friends, family, emotions, time and everything else perfectly with a smile slapped across your face, right? Though finding the balance is hard, it's not impossible." Silently, Wally sat, letting this sink in. The fact that what he said was true didn't make the problem go away, but it made it less foggy somehow. It never ceased to surprise that, despite the gaps in age or ability, some feelings-some situations-just transcended all that. Still:  
"Hard and impossible seem to be around the same ball park sometimes…" Barry laughed and nodded.  
"True, but that's what makes winning the challenge all the more savory...Plus, you have a better chance of perfecting a balancing act than beating me in a race." Wally seized the topic change gladly.  
"Was that a challenge?" His uncle shrugged, taking a bite out of his French toast. "Well, save room, Uncle Barry, cause after breakfast you're gonna get served."

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**Thank you all so much for the excellant response, sorry this was late (I actually wrote it on Sunday, but didn't get a chance to post until today), and fanfiction's doc system is seriously screwing with my format!**


	4. Chapter 4 Mystics

**January 20…. 5 Years Later**

"Zatanna, you will be on watch with Dr. Fate 5 miles out from San Juan." The young magician straightened but did not protest Batman's order. She was part of the League now, and League members did not back down from missions due to…personal reasons. Nodding at Batman, she took care to keep Fate out of her sight and mind for as long as possible—just because she accepted the mission, didn't mean she had to like it.

On the rooftop, she kept her eyes on patrons bustling about, unsuspecting of the impending threat that was upon them. The town was small, but still had as much liveliness as any city—children were laughing carelessly, woman were talking with each other or scolding said children, and a few men were returning home from work. The light in the softly stirring air was dimming as the sun sunk down the horizon.

Watching and waiting. Waiting and watching.

Getting impatient, it was difficult to keep from thinking that Morgan's son might never show. This was only one of three possible targets. And lack of action was not the only thing getting to her—it was the silence. Three feet away, her father stood. But if she spoke to him, it wouldn't be her father who would answer back. She wasn't a little girl anymore…but she still had to swallow the lump of grieving anger that formed in her throat when she turned to face Fate.

"How is my father?" she asked coolly. Fate barely glanced in her direction.

"He is fine…" There was an obvious hesitation in Dr. Fate's otherwise sure and booming voice.

"And….?" Fate faced her.

"He wishes me to tell you that he misses you." That was when the tears escaped and ran down Zatanna's cheeks. It was a challenge to keep her voice steady as she replied.

"Tell him I miss him too." Again, silence descended upon them.

"Believe me," began Fate, "this was for the best."

"For the best?" Incredulous fury was rising in the young magician's chest and burned like bile in her throat. "Explain how my growing up without my father is 'for the best'. Explain how being unable to speak to my father without a mystic middleman is 'for the best'. Explain how you can conceive in your mind that he is not every bit as powerful as you are? Please, _explain._"

Fate silently gazed at her lovely figure with a sort of sad pride, for a moment, so that she could be assured that her father was still _there_…still hers.

"Your father never stopped loving you. Through me, he watches you. And, perhaps, this piece of knowledge will comfort you." Zatanna waited. Nabu looked away for a moment. "Your father has seen how you have grown and the pride he feels for you is…envious."

"Envious?"

"I never understood how this…relationship with children….I mean, how can one be so willing to make such sacrifices and feel so much for a being that does not appreciate half of it? How can someone love another whom they are always expected to care for, with no guarantee of any return? And, the strangest aspect of this phenomenon is how I do not…_scorn _it, as my fellow lords do. It is almost…admirable in its way."

"Have you ever wanted a child?" Zatanna asked softly.

"That is of little relevance." The Doctor had returned. From below smoke started to rise, and with it a hissing, high pitched voice—one that sounded like that of a child.

"All bow down to me, your king!" People started to run, and the calm atmosphere succumbed to panic. Hero mode automatically kicked in.

"Batman, Morgan's son is in Location 1; but his mother is not accounted for," Zatanna said into her comn, as Fate engaged in battle with conjured knights in black amor.

Flying down, she joined her father and the man within the helmet that held him in the fight.

* * *

**a/n: Really sorry that it took so long, but a bunch of stuff happened...including a Flash Fam episode which i cried during because, not only was Impulse (the hottest stud muffin in the DC multi-verse along with Wally) in it, but he was voiced by none other than Jason Marsden *insert fangirling* who is one of my fave voice actors alongside Phil LaMar and Tara Strong. But, I'm getting off topic (sorta). This was written both b/c of the tragedy of Zatanna growing up without her father whom she practically works with and the fact that we were always say the dynamic of Dr. Fate and the others but never just Nabu (fave name btw and Winx Club fans will know why) Anyways, hope it was worth the wait. **


	5. Chapter 5 Speedsters-the 2nd generation

_Thump._

Wally's eyes flew open, but he was as still as possible in his bed, waiting for anoth-_clink. _

Someone, or something, was definitely in the house. At the foot of the bed, Nelson's ears were perked up, but his eyes were on Wally, waiting to see what course of action his master would take. Slowly, Wally crept out of bed. He never really liked to use his powers but, at times like these, caution was more important than preference. He ran down the corridor and was peeking over the corner in the blink of an eye without making a sound. Peering into the kitchen, he spotted the intruder.

The fridge door was open and a figure clad in jeans and a t-shirt was hunched over, rummaging inside.

"Ugh, _Bart_," Wally groaned exasperately. At the sudden sound, the figure quickly straightened-a mistake which led to him banging his head against the fridge.

"Oh, hey Wally." In the young speedster's arms was a tub of ice cream, a jar of pickles, a container full of leftover pasta, and an apple. Wally shook his head-whether in fondness or annoyance, Bart couldn't tell. Either way, after Wally went over to a cabinet and retrieved a bag of cheese doodles, he pulled out a chair.

"Well," he said gesturing to the seat across from him. Before Wally even had a chance to sit down, Bart was seated and a quarter of the way through the tub of ice cream. For a moment, they just sat together, eating."Hey, want some?" Wally held the bag of cheese doodles open towards Bart whose face lit up.

"Yeah!" He shoved his fist inside and scarfed down the handful. Then, with his mouth still full, "Wuf?"

"I'm just wondering if that's how I looked when I ate in front of…" he didn't need to say who.

Silence.

"What's it like?" Bart asked softly.

"What's what like?" Bart shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Ya know, being in love…"

Wally thought for a moment, a small smile lingering on his face, trying to find the words to describe exactly _what _he felt for a certain blonde archer.

"It's like-it's sort of…huh." He placed his hand thoughtfully on his chin, mentally untangling a ball of knotted thoughts and feelings. "Well, when I'm with her, things are just _better_. I never have to pretend with her, and most of the time I never have to say anything. She's more than my best friend, she's like a part of me-someone who I can share anything with and well, uh, I don't know how to explain it better than that." At Bart's blank expression, Wally asked a question of his own. "Why do you ask?" Bart shrugged shyly.

"I just-I know you must miss her, but I just didn't know how much." There was a silence again as both considered one another.

"Yeah, I do miss her a lot, but, you know," Wally said grabbing the apple from the middle of the table, "it's easier when I'm not eating alone." So they ate together that night and, afterwards, this helped Bart feel less guilty whenever he went to Wally's house for a midnight snack….or lunch or dinner or breakfast.

* * *

**Okay, confession time: I had this idea in my head for centuries now and even had it written down but didn't type it up until today. Mostly, it was the lack of Wally in "War" that really motivated me to do it (when Mal referred to Karen as "Beautiful" I was just crying my little fangirl heart out). I really want to write a chapter on the Wonders, but there is just not enough scenes with Cassie and Wonder Woman for me to do this, so if you have any mentor/student pairs you really wanna see a chapter on, feel free to ask. **

**Stay ****traught. **


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